Graphene nanoplatelets composite resin curing and thermal diffusivity determination by photothermal techniques

In this work, the thermal diffusivity for graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) incorporated into an acrylic resin with concentrations between 0.02 and 0.12 wt% were measured using the thermal wave resonant cavity (TWRC). An increased in this thermal parameter with increasing the concentration of the GNPs was observed. Moreover, the effect of the GNPs concentration on the curing time of resin nanocomposites was measured using the photoacoustic (PA) technique. The results showed that for higher GNPs concentrations, the curing time was higher for a fixed laser power. Samples were characterized by UV–Vis, TEM and FTIR techniques. On the other hand, the Shore hardness was measured for the cured resins, observing a hardness increase with GNPs concentration. The development of synthesis of new nanocomposites for curing (as 3D printing resins) will provide a better understanding of the physicochemical, thermal and mechanical properties of large-scale composite structures for applications in areas of medicine for implants and scaffolds.